Seal-press.



Na. 650,807. Patented May 29, 1900.

E. w. BnooKs.

SEAL' PRESS.

lisation-med Jan. 12, 1900.)

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Il 'Ill 1arm@ sranasl PATENT FFICE.

SEAL-Passe;

srncrrchr'ron foriiimg part er Letters retest 1vol 656,807, iata May 2e, 190e. Application inea January-12. 1900. sei-m No. 1,217. (Nn man.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be itknown that I, FRANKLIN W. BRooKs, a citizen of the United States', residing at Vashington city, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Presses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and'use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in seal-presses, and particularly to that class in which a pawl-'an'dratchet mechanism is employed to secure com'- l plete and uniform impression of the seals subjected to the action of the dies.

In presses as originally constructed the dies were made to approach each other through the medium of Alever-handles, having free vibratory movement in either direction, and consequently the impressions produced were, according to the resistance offered by the seal or the carelessness of the operator, not uniform and frequently indistinct. To obviate this diliiculty, presses were constructed involving the use of pawl-and-ratchet mechanism in connection with the vibrating handle-lever in order that after the handle is started in the direction necessary to cause the approach of the dies the handle is prevented from reversing its movement until it has first completed the sealing movement, and consequently the dies necessarily approach each other to precisely the-same degree in each instance, resulting of necessity in uniformity'of impression upon seals successively submitted tothe action of the dies. An early instance of the mechanical const-ruction controlling the movement of the leverhandle and movable dieis illustrated and described in the expired Letters Patent No. 152,081, granted June 16, 1874, to Joseph Corbett, assignor to The Railway Register Manufacturing Company of Buffalo, New York.

As before stated, my invention relates to that class of sealing-presses which involve the employment of a pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for controlling the action of the movable handle-.lever and die, and has for its object to provide a press of this character which shall be economic and durable in construction, which shall be comparatively light,

easily manipulated, and which shall alsosecure at all times and under all conditions the proper presentation of the seal between the impression-dies; and with these ends in view my invention consists in the features of construction hereinafter fully set forth and claimed. t

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may know how to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe the construction and operation,

referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front View showing the head of the press with a peculiarly-constructed' seal entrance or gateway. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line a: x of Fig. 5.A

Fig. 3 is a similar section taken on the line y @j of Fig. 1 and showing the relation of the p pawl-and-ratc'liet devices in th'e position as-A. sumed when the movable handle-lever is nearing its extreme outward or opening throw: Fig. 4 is a similar view, but showing the relation of the pawl-and-ratchet devices when ythe lever-handle had completed its inward or closing movement and has caused the pawl to be released from the ratchet, so that the handle-lever can be opened toward the position shown at Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a centrallongitudinal section on the line .a z' of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective viewof the spring employed for raising theV movable die and assisting in the opening movement of the lever-handle. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the lower stationary adjustable'cup-die and showing its circumferential Wall cut away to register with the seal entrance or gateway in the'head of-the press, and Fig. 8 is a side .reciprocating die F and the lower adjustable ICO eup-die G. These dies may be introduced either through the upper or lower end of the bore or channel referred to. The lower end of this channel is formed with a female thread to leceive a screw-threaded ad j listing-plug Il, which constitutes a seat or anvil for the cup-die G, as clearly shown at Fig. 5, and by reason of the ad justability ofthe plug Il it will be obvious that the cup-die G may be adjusted with reference to the movable die F so that seals of different thickness may be operated upon with equal pressure and like results as to thecharacters impressed thereon. lVhen the proper vertical adjustment of the cup-die and plug has been made, the cup-die is adjusted axially, so that the cut-away p0rtion I of its projeetingorcircumferential wall J will register with the seal entrance or gateway K in the head of the press, whereupon it is secured against accidental movement by a set-screw L, and the plug Il is also secured by a similar set-screw M.

The lower die in the instance illustrated in the drawings is cup-shaped on its upper face, adapting it to the particular seal for which it is designed and which consists of a lower sheet-metal cup embracing a lead body with an upwardly-projecting rivet or hat-shaped head, as shown at Fig. 8, corresponding in shape and dimension with the upper portion of the gateway or entrance K in the head of the press.

By reference to Fig. S and the seal entrance or gateway K (best shown at Fig. l) vit will be seen that the seal can only enter the gateway when presented in a position corresponding with the shape and proportions of the gateway, and consequently the sheetmetal cup rests upon the lower die G, and the hat-shaped head of the lead portion is crushed and impressed by the movable die F.

The upper or movable die is held in proper axial position and is raised by a flat spring N, one end of which enters a radial slot or pocket in the die, as clearly shown at Fig. 5, and the opposite end of which is secured to the stationary handle B by a suitable screw O.

The movable handle is formed with a eamshaped face adapted to contact with the upper end of the movable die F, as clearly shown at Fig. 5, so that when the said handle approaches the stationary handle B the die F will be forced downwardly toward the cupdie G, and consequently the seal is compressed between the two dies to lock the shackle-wire, and at the saine time any suitable characters upon the face of the movable' die are impressed upon the seal to the same extent and uniformly.

f The spring N, as before stated, retracts the movable die when the movable handle is released and assists in an obvious manner to lift the said handle.

P is a stud or screw inserted in the lower stationary handle B to constitute a stop and to limit the .closing movement of the movable handle A,

The front or cam-shaped head portion of the handle A is provided on each side with a ratchet Q of the design and construction clearly shown at Figs. 3 and et. These ratchets are preferably form ed separately from the handle and are secured in place by rivets or rods R, or in anyother suitable manner, o1,if thought desirable, they may be made integral with the handle.

The ratchet-teeth are concentric with the axis of the handle A and terminate at the lower extremity in a projecting nose or lip S and at the upper extremity in a curved face T, for the purposes presently explained. The ratcheteteeth of the two ratchets Q are so arranged relatively to cach other that the teeth of one ratchet will be in the same plane as the spaces of the other, so that the two pawls presently described will act alternately, and for the purpose of preserving the etfcctiveness of the pawl-andratchet mechanism, even though 011e of said pawls or ratchets should become disabled or inoperative, and at the same time if both are operative, presenting a double security against the return movement of the handle until a proper impression has been made upon the seal.

U U are two pawls secured vibratively to the two cheeks D of the head of the lower handle B by pivots V. These pawls are of the design shown, with a V-shaped projection W, adapted to interlock successively with the teeth of the ratehets Q and to contact at the proper time with the nose or lip S of the ratchets, as shown at Fig. 3, or with the curved face thereof, as shown at Fig. 4. The tail of the pawls are formed with two notches or seats a b to receive the free end of a fiat spring X, which is secured to the lower stationary handle I3 by the same screw which secures the spring N in place, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. lVhen the free end of the pawl-spring X is in the seat b the V-shaped projection lV et the pawl is held in contact with the ratchetteeth of the ratchet Q, as shown at Fig. 3, and when said spring is in the seat a the pawl is held out of contact and in the position shown at Fig. 4. These two described positions of the spring X with reference to the pawls are controlled in the following manner, to wit: When the movable handle A has been closed to the proper extent to secure the complete compression of the seal and the proper impression upon the same of the characters on the face of the die or dies, the curved faces T of the ratehets will contact with the V- shaped projection W of the pawls and vibrate the same rearward, as shown at Fig. 4, causing the free end of the pawl-spring X to enter the seats a, and thus hold the V-shaped projection W out of contact with the ratehets Qand permitting the handle to be opened to the position shown at Fig. 3, when the noses S of the ratehets contact with the V-shaped projections of the pawls U, vibrating them into the position shown to interlock successively with the ratchet-ileeth, or, in other words,

IOO

IIO

restores them to their normal operative positions.

While I have shown the lower stationary cup-die with a concave upper face to produce aconvex form of the sheet-metal portion of the seal illustrated at Fig. 8, it will be understood that the face of said die maybe of any other form and may be adapted to impress any desired characters upon a seal composed wholly of lead or other suitable metal, and while the seal shown in elevation at Fig. 8 is of a particular configuration and proportions corresponding with a similarly designed and proportioned seal entrance or gateway in the head of the press I do not wish to be limited in this respect, but desire it to be understood that my invention in this particular rests in the broad idea of providing the head lof the press with a seal entrance or gateway of such form with reference to the seal intended for use therewith that the seal can be introduced to the action of the dies in one position only, thus securing with absolute uniformity the impressions of the dies always upon the same sides or faces ofthe seals. I desire to call especial attention to the form and construction of the cup-shaped stationary die. I have alreadyexplained the manner of adjusting and securing it and the movable die in position, and it will therefore be obvious that both dies may be readily removed and others substituted therefor, according to the diameter of the seal or variety of impressions that it may be desirable to impress upon such seals, and as it is desirable that such impressions should always be properly located with reference to the boundaries or circumference of the seal the upwardly-projecting circumferential Wall .I constitutes a means for securing this object, because it serves to center and properly locate the seal for which itis especially designed, while if the said Wall was absent the walls of the seal-channel in the head of the press would constitute the only stop or adjustment of the seal, and obviously a small seal would enter the gateway to a further extent tha'n a larger one and consequently the characters impressed by the dies would be eccentric. The adjustability of the lower or cup die is also important in order that seals of varying thickness may have a predetermined or equal degree of pressure exerted upon them to secure the proper degree of sharpness inthe impressions made and to compensate for Wear. I make the head of the screw-plug H of hemispherical or equivalent form to prevent the press from being used, as they frequently are, as a hammer, which results not infrequently in the destruction or impairment of the press.

Having described the construction, operation, and advantages of my improved press, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a seal-press, the combination ofy two lever-handles, a movable die, and a stationary die, a ratchet connected with each side of the head of the movable handle and terminating in alip S, and curved face T, springpaw-ls pivoted to the stationary handle and provided with a V-shaped projection W, and notches a, Znand a spring X, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a seal-press, the combination of a movable and a stationary handle, a movablel die, and an adjustable stationary die seated within the head of the stationary handle, means independent of the adjustable die for vertically adjusting the same and means substantially as described for securing the said die against axial relation7 as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In assai-press, a movable and a stationary handle, compression-dies and a gateway or entrance in the head of the press and lead- .ing to the space between the dies, said gateway being of varying widths at dierent localities and conforming to the design. of the seal, whereby the latter can be presented in one way only.

In testimony whereof I alx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN W. BROOKS. Vitnesses:

D. G. STUART, WM. C. MCINTIRE. 

